Small Interruption – Update: Lab Results

The lab tests came back yesterday. My husband’s wound is the result of a staphylococci infection. It is not an insect bite. It is not from the thorn of a toxic plant. It’s a simple, straight-forward staph infection which, in the lab, responded well to a particular brand of antibiotics that spouse is now taking.

The origin of the staph infection is disturbing, however, and anyone with a weak stomach should not read further because the rest is a bit graphic.

I married into a family with many odd traditions, one of which apparently, is picking scabs. Both my husband’s parents, his siblings and several cousins all indulge. All of them. Some have brown marks where a scab has been so repeatedly picked at, there’s permanent discolouration. The marks are passed off as bruises. No one comments. Commenting would be rude.

The monumental effort necessary to break bad habits does not escape me. I quit smoking after forty years of practically living on cigarettes and coffee. My weight’s shot up since and now I deal with food and exercise issues I never had to even think about before. So I know it’s hard to confront a demon.

In my own house and never in earshot of another person, I have tried to educate my husband on the possible consequences of scab picking. I have explained how the skin is a living, breathing organ as important as his heart and that chipping away at it’s natural defenses can be dangerous. I’ve googled articles to show him how a person can actually sufficate, despite good lungs, when the skin pores become clogged with mediums like metallic paint or severe burns. I’ve shown him anatomical diagrams of the layers of skin and how scabs prevent diseases from invading the bloodstream via open wounds. He blows me off. He’s been so angry with me for even bringing this subject up he has, on occasion, stopped talking to me for days at a time. It’s just a scab. I’m overreacting.

But this seemingly innocuous habit of picking at scabs before nature decides the body is ready for it to stop protecting the layers of skin beneath can actually be fatal. With so many diseases at our fingertips, like Tetanus, E-Coli, Asian Flu and Swine Flu, something needs to be said.

Photos and lecture tomorrow.

To comment on this post please scroll back to the title: Small Interruption – Update: Lab Results and click the word comments just beneath. Thanks, OzMud

He knows it is dangerous. That’s why he married a nurse. He can blow you off, but you’re right there if it gets out of control like it did this time. It is OC, but also a control issue. He married into the one profession that will give him lots of attention for his scab picking, and then uses it as a control issue. “You can’t make me stop.”

I thought that might be it. If it’s MRSI it’s a nasty bug and he must be very, very careful because it can reoccur. One of my family members came down with it in 2001, and I was shocked to learn that several thousand a year died of it in the States. Now the figure is up over 20,000. The important thing is to do everything you can to boost his immune system–lots of vitamin C, selenium, and good wholesome food. Good luck.

Wait. Did I screw up? You’re the blogger who is a nurse, right? If not, my bad. Terribly sorry.

WakeUpAmerica – No, I’m not a nurse. You probably nailed the OC though, however he did successfully hide the habit from me for more than 6 years. I’m leaning toward learned behaviour from two parents who both grew up in the bush. But I could also be wrong! OzMud

Well, I hope *THIS* will be the lesson he will remember, and he will not pick anymore… (It might only last a relatively short while, so be sure to take pictures and good notes, so you can confront him with the facts [AND THE BILL!!!] if and when he relapses…)

After the antibiotics, if he is willing, I would suggest some probiotics to help rebuild his supply of good bacteria so he doesn’t get reinfected. We battled staph infections for over a year here because it kept coming back. http://staphbattle.blogspot.com/